He points out that the American church has not really turned to God in a disparate way, that the circumstances may call for more radical responses on our part.

Personally looking over the history of our land, there has never been a time when so many major natural disasters have stricken this country in so short a period of time. Then we are in the midst of 2 1/2 wars while our economy is at its worst point in last 70 years or an entire generation.

What does the future hold?

We are preparing for the worse both naturally and economically out here in California. Too many words have come our way to ignore the possibilities of major trouble. However we are also expecting and hoping for revival in the midst of it all.

How are we to respond? Radical prayer is in order. Read the suggestions for responses to differing situations in Goll’s article: “Responding to the Times”

Loren has some right-on counsel for the church here and points out that Christians lost their political and cultural influence in America because of hypocrisy in high places(failing Christian leaders) and because of a ‘religious’ pharisaic attitude towards unbelievers:

I don’t see judgment falling on the nation yet but rather on the church—God’s people—and it has only just begun. 1 Peter 4:17 clearly indicates that judgment begins with the house of God.

The first stage of judgment—already in motion—is that we have lost both our power as a voting block and our cultural influence. We have lost these things (1) because we have presented ourselves to the nation in the religious spirit rather than the Spirit of Christ and (2) because our integrity in high places has been badly compromised.

The second stage of judgment on the church in days to come is that the culture of this nation will continue in the direction it has been choosing to take for the last 40 years. The judgment is that we can do nothing to stop this slide into lawlessness and immorality because we’ve sacrificed our moral authority.

Sandford ends with good counsel for the American church—well worth reading. *Top

“God is Shaking Things Up”. His thoughts and counsel really do reflect a lot of the ideas and responses that we have been posting recently about the economy and particularly the church. He identifies that the very chaotic times that we are experiencing is actually the results of God shaking everything that can be shaken. I would add—even the church.

He begins with this:

“God promised to shake everything that can be shaken, and He is not slack about keeping His promises. I don’t ever recall a time such as today, when almost everything is being shaken.”

David also is expecting like I am that Christians in America will increasingly begin to experience persecution from the dominate American culture and even the government itself:

“Another concern I have is the blatant anti-Christian attitude emerging in our country. … It wasn’t so long ago that newscasters and politicians were comparing some Christians to Islamic terrorists.

American Christians have never experienced real persecution before, but Jesus made it very clear that this would be pervasive in the Last Days. Let’s face it, in the current environment, about all it would take would be for some weird “Christian” group to attack the government to bring about a public outcry against everything Christian. I believe during our lifetime we could very well see a president, in the interest of national security, closing churches and establishing a Guantanamo Bay for “religious insurgents.” Have you forgotten what it was like right after 9/11?”

Ravenhill Concludes with this counsel:

“Perhaps the best way to prepare for what is headed our way is to begin to live as though it were already here. What I mean by that is to start focusing on the eternal, rather than the temporal; start forming quality relationships with other like-minded saints. Then when life as we have known it begins to unravel, we will be ready to meet the future as a friend rather than as an enemy to be feared.”

Some of his observations are somewhat scary and some may think rather paranoid—either that or prophetic. I believe that they are right on and the American Church must now get use to the fact that if we are going to continue to be a Biblical Christian Church, we may from now on be at odds with the dominant American culture and I fear ultimately even with a government that is suppose to provide for our ‘freedom of religion’.

I have already seen this current administration do some things which are blatantly against the constitution yet few have registered any complaints. The government has engaged in what is tantamount to ‘nationalizing’ the banks, financial institutes, and the auto industry to name a few. Legislation is before the congress to bring the energy businesses and the medical industry under government control also. This doesn’t seem to bother anyone because of the extreme economic emergency situation we are in—not only that—many are encouraging it.

It really isn’t hard for me to see the possibility of this government stretching its authority into the religious realm if future emergencies would dictate. Actually this is not all that far fetched, recently the Dept. of Homeland Security sent out a bulletin telling police and FBI to be on the lookout for right-wing groups like those who are ‘pro-life’ and supporters of Israel among other ‘hate groups’. Call me paranoid if you like. *Top